Greg Appel, marketing president at Happy State Bank, told the workshop the local banking community began outreach the weekend after the flood and established ongoing communications and meetings to coordinate assistance for affected customers.

"Our response started the weekend following July 4, and we were on the phone talking and texting with our customers, checking on them, trying to to find out how they were effective," Appel said, describing early phone and in-person checks, loan-modification conversations and information-sharing across banks.

Appel said the local banking community had made direct commitments “in excess of a million dollars” to recovery efforts and that some banks were offering dollar-for-dollar matching to multiply donations. Happy State Bank, he said, “made a $250,000 commitment.”

Banks described three parallel roles: (1) immediate outreach and information-sharing, (2) participation in philanthropic fundraising and matching gifts, and (3) traditional lending to affected homeowners and businesses on a case-by-case basis. Appel emphasized that many small businesses may not be able to repay a standard loan for the full cost of recovery and that lenders will need to tailor financing to each borrower.

Appel also said banks are coordinating with nonprofit partners, including the Community Foundation and LiftFund, and that representatives from lending organizations will be available at local bank branches to meet business owners in coming weeks.

Ending: Commissioners thanked the banking community for swift fundraising and urged banks and philanthropic partners to continue outreach to high-impact sectors such as summer camps and tourism-related businesses.